The Subspace Duelists
by CrimsonStarbird
Summary: Yu-Gi-Oh / SSBB. There's trouble for Yugi and friends when they get transported inside a game of SSBB and have to fight their way out. Light-hearted action! Rated T for probable language and/or violence later on. Edit: will be slow to update, sorry!
1. Just a Game

_A/N: A bit of light-hearted fun from this veeeeery depressing author! The first chapter is just an introduction so nothing really happens... Oh yeah and there's nothing whatsoever significant about the SSBB characters everyone picks at the start - I was just experimenting with different characters on the game as I wrote. My favourite characters are Ganondorf and Kirby, if anyone's interested!_

_Anyway, on with the story! I hope you enjoy it! Please read and review~!_

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**The Subspace Duelists**

**Chapter 1**

"Yaaa! Go, pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Tristan yelled, hammering the A button as quickly as he could.

"Whatever," Joey muttered back, tapping the Wii remote with skill. On the television, Ganondorf sent the pikachu flying straight off the screen. "Victory!" he crowed, just before Bowser struck him from behind. "Damn!"

"Sorry, Joey," Ryou grinned, turning Bowser around to face the only other player left – Yugi's character, Peach. "Now it's my turn, Yugi!"

Nobody really knew why Yugi had chosen to play as Princess Peach. Everyone, including Yami, agreed that Yugi would be better suited playing as a hero character like Link or Marth, or even Solid Snake. But still, he had chosen Peach, and so far he had done extremely well against his opposition. Having the three thousand year old spirit of the King of Games living in his mind probably helped, but even Yami himself had admitted that he hadn't a clue how Super Smash Bros. Brawl – or any other video game for that matter – worked.

"Bring it!" Yugi laughed in friendly competition. Joey and Tristan threw down their remotes and settled back to watch the remaining two players battle it out. Ryou's Bowser was already on 70% damage after his earlier struggle against Joey's Ganondorf, whereas Yugi had used his final smash not too long ago and Peach had almost been healed to full health. It was this disadvantage that let Yugi smash Bowser into the sky almost straight away.

"Damn," Ryou said good-naturedly. "Yugi wins _again_!"

_Of course_, a voice whispered - sibilant, dark, emotionless - inside Ryou's mind. _Yugi can't lose at any game._

The temperature in the room seemed to suddenly drop ten degrees. Ryou couldn't breathe, and for a terrifying heart-stopping moment, it felt as though the air in his lungs had turned to solid ice.

Then as suddenly as it had started, the feeling passed, leaving Ryou shaking in fear. Cautiously he placed one trembling hand on his chest, feeling for the Millennium Ring concealed underneath his clothes. A cold biting energy tore through the thin t-shirt he wore, snapping at his fingers and racing up his arm. His hand jerked away involuntarily, and he couldn't help shuddering.

Luckily, no one seemed to have noticed. They were too busy congratulating Yugi to be watching Ryou, and besides, the spirit spoke only to him. Not a minute went by when he wished it wasn't so.

"Hey, Ryou!" Tristan called. "You want to play again?"

"Umm… yeah, I guess." Ryou picked up his Wii remote from where it had fallen.

"What about you, Téa?" Tristan continued.

"Huh," she replied. "Just because you four are obsessed with that stupid game doesn't mean I want to waste all my life playing it too."

"Aww, come on!" Tristan pleaded. "I'm fed up of losing, I want someone to beat!"

"Oh, thanks, Tristan," Téa snapped, snatching the remote out of his hand.

"How about a team battle?" Yugi interjected, to prevent any more arguments. "You know, me and Téa versus Ryou and Joey."

Téa glanced at Yugi, who winked, gaze flickering down to the Millennium Puzzle hung round his neck. Her eyes widened. He was going to let Yami take over and fight in his place!

Yugi – or was it Yami now? She had no way of telling – pressed his finger to his lips with a grin before turning his attention back to the character selection screen. Téa followed his example, selecting the cute little Yoshi as her character.

The brawl began on Joey's favourite battlefield, the Legend of Zelda Temple stage: Yoshi and Marth against Pokémon Trainer and Meta Knight. Predictably, they had been playing for all of two seconds before Téa turned her character into an egg and sent him flying helplessly off stage. She was saved only by Yami, who threw a bouncer towards her to launch her back onto the stage, putting her back in the game and causing her – not for the first time – to doubt whether Yami was really as bad at video games as he claimed to be.

Of course, it only bought her a handful of extra seconds before Joey's charizard smashed Yoshi into the sky with his golden hammer, but hey – it was the thought that counted. Yami's Marth moved forwards to engage Charizard, and the battle really began to heat up.

While those two fought a blinding melee beneath the Temple, however, there was one player who didn't seem all that ready to fight. Ryou's Meta Knight stood calm and unmoving on top of one of the stage's crumbling structures, seemingly watching… and waiting. This seemed rather puzzling to Téa, considering Ryou's usual enthusiasm about SSBB – they had all come round to _his_ house to play the game, after all.

A smash token drifted within inches of Meta Knight's face, causing Ryou to act for the first time, executing his character's furious slash combo to smash the shiny ball. Meta Knight began to glow as he absorbed the power to use his final smash. For some reason, though, he still didn't move. Téa and Tristan both expected him to swoop down on the unsuspecting brawlers and unleash his most powerful move to wipe them both out at once. But he didn't. Instead, he waited.

Ryou's face was calm, emotionless. He was usually so animated when playing his favourite video game. A thought flashed through Téa's mind, and she shuddered slightly. What if Ryou had guessed Yugi would switch with Yami? What if he…?

_He wouldn't_, she told herself. _Ryou would never do that. Not after what we've been through together_.

And then Ryou turned his head slightly, as though he had heard her thoughts. In the pale, flickering light of the TV screen, the cold half-smile he flashed her looked more like the hungry grin of a demon. Téa looked away, trying to suppress her fear. Surely he wouldn't do anything to them here, now?

Back to the match, Yami had just finished kicking Joey's butt and was now heading up to the surface again to face Bakura's – because Bakura was definitely controlling Ryou now, there was no doubt about that – Meta Knight. A short detour on Marth's part to get a heart recovery item allowed Meta Knight to spring down behind him and unleash that final smash he had been saving.

"What the heck are ya doing?" Joey demanded indignantly of Bakura, as a slash of blue streaked across the screen, sending Marth flying backwards. "He just healed himself to full health! If you had have damaged him a bit first, you would have been able to kill him in one shot with that!"

Bakura ignored this, focusing instead on the swift combat going on between himself and his archrival, the King of Games. Even though for both of them this was their first time playing the game, both of them executed advanced moves with supernatural gaming talent born of their 3,000 year rivalry. They danced around each other, waiting for one wrong move by their opponent. Neither of them got too close, pulling back before either one had the chance to use a powerful finishing move.

Téa couldn't help wondering whether or not Yami had figured out he wasn't up against Ryou any more. Surely Joey or Tristan must have found it strange that Ryou was lasting out so long against Yami. There was one thing about the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle that they all agreed on: Yami was unbeatable at games. The only time he had ever lost was when he had been blackmailed, or his opponent cheated. On the other hand, Téa wouldn't put it past Bakura to have hacked the game. He was the infamous Thief King, and if Yami's gaming skills extended to video games, maybe Bakura's special talents did too.

But Yami wouldn't lose. She knew it.

And sure enough, it was Marth who broke the second smash token and forced Meta Knight off the edge of the map. "Wahoo! I knew you'd beat us, Yugi!" Joey cheered, not fazed by his defeat.

"How on earth did you get so good at this?" Tristan asked in amazement.

It was Yugi who replied, a little shyly, "Well, you know, it's not really that hard…"

Téa cast a hesitant glance at Bakura to see his reaction. All she saw was Ryou, though, looking a bit lost, and she guessed that Bakura had switched back with his host.

"Well done, Yugi," Ryou congratulated him, standing up. "I'll go and get some drinks. Anyone want some Pepsi?"

"I'll help," Téa offered impulsively, getting up off the sofa.

"It's fine, really," Ryou said, without looking at her. "I'll be able to manage them."

"You can't carry five cans on your own," Téa countered, matter-of-factly.

Ryou gave a resigned shrug of his shoulders and headed into the kitchen, and Téa followed. When they were out of earshot, she began, "Ryou –"

"Téa, I'm fine. Look. I'm okay. I'm me."

"You should have told us it was happening again."

Ryou looked down. "I- I didn't want to worry any of you…"

"We can't help you if you don't let us. I'm sure that Yugi or Yami could –"

"There's nothing anybody can do," Ryou interrupted, voice twisted with a sudden dark sarcasm. "_Yugi and Yami_ know that. I'm – _we're _– going to be like this forever."

"Ryou…" Téa struggled to find the words she was looking for. "I want to help you. I don't want you to have to suffer with –"

"It's okay. It's really okay." Ryou's looked up at her, and his gaze, once so innocent and pure, held nothing but bitterness. "There are… times, when it's bad, but usually I'm fine. And sometimes, it's like we… were never…" He closed his eyes. "Seriously, Téa. Don't worry about me."

Téa managed a faint smile and nodded. "Tell me if there's anything I can help with."

"Yeah." He turned away and walked over to the fridge. "You can start by taking these to Yugi and Tristan," he added with a grin, tossing her two cans of pop.

Téa caught them with a sad smile and walked back into the living room. Inside, she felt depressed. She knew that everything Ryou had said was just an act. He wasn't fine. He was suffering far more then he ever let on.

They handed out the Pepsi cans. Yugi was the only one who looked around as they walked in; Joey and Tristan were occupied brawling against what looked like a huge pterodactyl. Téa thought she caught a flicker of emotion cross Yugi's face, and she couldn't help wondering whether he had overheard their conversation in the kitchen. She made a mental reminder to talk to Yugi about it later. Even if she didn't know how to help Ryou, Yugi might.

"Boss Battles?" Ryou asked Joey and Tristan lightly, although this time Téa could swear she could sense the slight fakeness of his voice.

"Yeah," Joey replied. "We decided we would do the Boss Battles on two-player mode and take turns to fight each one."

"Fine by me," Ryou agreed and sat down on the sofa beside Yugi.

They fought the battles in turn, even though it seemed that Yugi had to do most of the work. It took about 20 minutes before Joey threw down his remote and Téa leaned back into her chair with satisfaction. "Finally," she sighed. "That seemed to take forever!"

"It's not over yet," Ryou said with a faint grin. "There's still one boss left to fight..."

"Who?" Tristan demanded.

"Tabuu, he's called. I remember from when I had to fight him in the story mode."

"Is he hard?"

"I don't know; it's been ages since I played on The Subspace Emissary mode!"

"Whoever he is," Tristan interrupted, "I bet he's no match for our tag team brawling!" He and Joey shared a quick high-5.

"Uh... sorry to burst your bubble, guys, but actually it's not your turn," Yugi cut in apologetically. "It's actually my turn, to fight with Ryou."

Joey pulled a face. "Fine, but make it quick so I can get back to kicking all your asses!"

Ryou smiled ruefully as he took the remote Tristan handed him. "I'll do my best, Joey."

A great figure appeared on screen, transparent blue, with wings – great rainbow butterfly-wings, shining with every colour the expensive HD television could create. Yugi's character Link leapt straight into action, leaving Ryou's Pit in the dust. "That's odd. I think I'd have remembered if he'd looked as amazing as that before..."

"Maybe he's different for the Boss Battles, who cares?" Joey shouted, almost bouncing up and down with agitation. "Don't just stand there, beat him up!"

"Sure..." Ryou muttered, spinning Pit into position before Tabuu knocked him off the edge with laser beams from his eyes. Both him and Yugi, guessing each other's moves, stood a long way off and used their bows to reduce his life bar from a safe distance. Then Tabuu withdrew from the melee and pulled back beyond their range. "Hang on a minute! Yugi – he's using his ultimate attack!"

Link raised his shield in response to Ryou's shout, and Ryou himself prepared to use Pit's counter shield. However, the triple waves of energy Ryou was expecting didn't come. Tabuu paused, as if waiting for them to make a move. A wave of tension, so unexpected, rolled over those sat in the room. Ryou shuddered. If was as if for that one drawn-out moment, everything was standing still.

A ball of dark energy appeared on the screen, roughly spherical and expanding rapidly. And Ryou knew with certainty that something was wrong, so wrong. This was not supposed to happen. SSBB was a game, just a normal video game for the Nintendo Wii. None of the millions of copies sold worldwide had anything to do with a Shadow Game.

So why was the great ball of shadow expanding out of the screen and into his living room?

Why the instinctive rush of fear, swallowed by the overwhelming emotions of his other self – curiosity, followed by panic and a furious struggle against the void that tried to drag them in?

Why Yami's wide eyes as the Millennium Puzzle reacted with a fierce glow, calling him forth?

And why was this great ball of darkness – of Subspace – drawing them into a world that should only have existed on a TV screen?


	2. Old Friends, New Faces

_A/N: So I've finally updated this for the first time in over a year. I'm not proud of that, but I just really lost inspiration for this for a while. I guess it doesn't really help that I also went off SSBB and haven't played that for a year either... so if some things are inaccurate, sorry! I rather rushed this chapter because I just wanted to get it uploaded, and I hope it'll get better again as I get back into writing this style._

_I don't really have a plot (yet) so this is the boring introduction chapter. After this it will start to pick up, I promise! I know where this fanfic is going but I'm not quite sure how it's going to get there yet. I have some themes that I want to run through this that I've tried to hint at within this update, which are mostly going to revolve around around the Yami/Bakura/Ryou, Yami/Yugi, and Yami/T ea/Yugi relationships, but it won't be (too) dark and there officially won't be any yaoi - it's friendship here and nothing more._

_Right, I'm done talking now, so _try_ to enjoy this chapter! And do review, even if it's only to tell me how bad this is or shout at me for taking so long to update!_

_~Starbird out._

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**The Subspace Duelists**

**Chapter 2**

The sun was shining brightly when Yugi awoke, which was strange because he couldn't remember falling asleep.

What had he been doing? _Oh, that was right, I was at Ryou's house, playing SSBB, and _–

And something unexplainable had happened, and he had ended up in this place where the sun shone brightly.

It was then that Yugi realised he was wearing a hat. Curious, and certain he hadn't put one on before he went to Ryou's, he took it off to get a better look at it. It was forest-green and pointed, rather like a traditional wizard's hat, only drooping and relaxed rather then pointing straight upwards.

He looked down at himself with trepidation and found, to no surprise, that he was wearing some sort of green tunic. It was an earthy colour, complimented by the snug soil-brown boots he had on. There was a belt around his waist, strapped to which was a sword in its sheath, and he could feel what he presumed to be a shield tied to his back.

Yugi had always been very intuitive, and it only took him a couple of seconds to figure out what was going on. Somehow he had entered the world of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and somehow he had become the character Link.

"Yugi! YUGI!" someone shouted.

Yugi turned around to find something in the sky heading down towards him. At first he couldn't see anything because of the sun, but as the figure drew closer, he began to recognize who it was. "Ryou?" Yugi gasped, taken aback.

Because it was Ryou, only he too was dressed in a tunic – this one flowing, and pearly white – with a golden wreath on his head and two beautiful angel wings sprouting from his back. He was holding some sort of shining bow which he threw down as he landed gracefully before Yugi.

"Wow, Yugi, you won't believe how glad I am to see you!" Ryou exclaimed. "I thought I was alone here!"

"Yeah, me too," Yugi agreed, secretly glad to find that someone else was there with him. "Wherever _here _is..."

"Well... I don't really want to say this, but it looks kind of like the Forest level from SSBB," Ryou suggested cautiously.

Yugi didn't seem all that surprised to Ryou, just nodding. "I... thought so. We're inside the game, aren't we?"

"I think so." The reality of those words hit Ryou for the first time. "That void... we went through it somehow and ended up here? This is so weird. This game is so popular over the world – we'd have heard about it if some kid somewhere got pulled into his TV while playing it. Or, do you think that maybe only my version of the game is weird?"

"That would be some coincidence. I think that's it's been waiting for us."

Both of them looked around automatically. Yugi started, "But what confuses me is how this game doesn't feel, well, like a Shadow Game."

Ryou laughed helplessly. "Yugi... I can't believe you. We've been transported into a video game world and the only thing that concerns you is how different it is from the last time it happened to you."

Yugi blushed. "Sorry," he grinned. "I think we should go and look for the others. If we're both here, it makes sense that they would be too."

"Yeah, I suppose so," Ryou conceded.

"You're the only one of us who's played this game before," Yugi said. "Have you any idea where we are, or where the others might be?"

A startling scream rang through the forest around them, causing the foliage to erupt with the fluttering of startled wings. Ryou and Yugi looked at each other.

"Téa!" Yugi exclaimed.

"I think that answers that one," Ryou grinned. They began to run in the direction of the shout, Ryou choosing to run beside his friend rather then fly, and both of them were secretly glad for the other's company.

The forest trail they followed soon opened out into a rather large clearing dominated by a wide tree stump roughly in the centre. A figure stood on it, instantly recognizable as Princess Zelda by her purple ceremonial robes and the Triforce glittering on her hand, mirroring the golden symbol one Yugi's own. It had to be Téa. She was facing away from them and towards another person, this one covered in deep blue fur. He was more beast than man and yet even from across the clearing, Yugi could see the deep solemnity and sincerity in his red eyes. This was Lucario from SSBB, there was no doubt about that, but he wasn't just Lucario.

He reached up to take Téa's hand in his own gentle, padded claws. "Téa," he murmured quietly. "Don't be afraid. It's me."

"Ph-Pharaoh?" Téa asked hesitantly, and at the same time, Yugi shouted, "Yami!" and charged across the ground towards them.

The Lucario turned to see them and his eyes filled with delight as his gaze settled on his other self. "Yugi!" he cried, in his familiar voice. And then Téa turned and saw them too, and everyone's names were shouted several times over in joy at their reunion.

Yugi and Téa hugged each other briefly, a little embarrassed, and then Yugi turned to Yami. "Partner," Yami smiled.

"Yami, I-I can't hear you in my head any more! How... how is this possible?"

"I'm not sure, Yugi," Yami admitted, but his voice was reassuring and calm. Yugi couldn't help smiling. If Yami wasn't afraid, then Yugi wouldn't be either.

"Right, now that that's settled," Téa began, hands on her hips, "Would anyone care to explain to me what on earth is going on here?"

"I don't –" Yugi began, but he was unable to finish his sentence.

Out of the shadows had stepped two creatures, about Yugi's height, with blocky dull green bodies. Both held some sort of laser guns, and they didn't hesitate to fire them at the group. Yami swept Téa up into his arms instantly and bounded out of the way, flying higher and further than a normal being could have. Ryou pulled Yugi away just in time – a lot less gracefully, but saving his life nonetheless.

"Wha- what?" Yugi was stuttering.

"We have to fight!" Yami growled, as he gently placed Téa back on the ground.

"How?"

The Lucario looked around the group. "Leave this to me." With the confidence and command Yugi had come to associate with his other self, Yami stretched his arms out to the side. Blue energy - _aura_, Ryou remembered - gathered around his hands, shaking the air with its sheer power. The magic came swiftly and easily to the three thousand year old spirit, and Yugi, who was still struggling to get his sword out of its scabbard, couldn't help feeling a little envious of his other self. Yami flung one hand towards his enemies, who threw themselves aside as the ball of sparkling aura smashed into the ground where they had been stood. Their dives had dazed them and now Yami had the initiative.

The Lucario broke into a run, far more athletic in his new pokémon form than he had ever been when he was in Yugi's body. He landed a flying kick squarely on one creature's chest and it vanished in a burst of brilliant blue aura. Yami turned his attention to the other just as it aimed and shot a burst of laser at him, grazing his arm. Clutching his arm to his chest, Yami pulled back, putting some distance between them.

Yugi, meanwhile, had finally managed to get his sword in his hand and he was determined not to be outdone by his other self. He ran at the creature with a wild yell, waving his sword above his head. Following his - Link's? - instincts, he rolled to dodge one beam of laser and he deflected another with his sword. Once close enough, he swung his sword, but the blow was parried by the creature's gun.

While the two fought a brief melee, Ryou drew back Pit's bow and let a blue energy arrow materialize on the taut string in the same way it did in the game. The creature stood between him and Yugi, so he had a clear shot, but this was marred by the fact that it kept moving. He knelt on the ground and looked down the humming arrow's shaft. It was a game, he told himself. It was a bit like that other war-based video game he had bought recently. Even when you were playing against other people, not just the computer, there was always a pattern in their actions. Perhaps it was Bakura's subconscious influence that made Ryou good at computer games, or perhaps he had his own skill too. Either way, once he picked a target, they were dead. Unnoticed by them, his character would track theirs with enduring patience, because eventually they would stop moving. One pause, one split-second hesitation, was all he needed. A single shot; death. They never knew what hit them. And now, watching the two combatants with one eye open, his skills at gaming were coming into their own.

There it was - when the creature blocked Yugi's sword once more it lost its balance, and there was that split-second pause as it decided how best to recover. Ryou released the arrow. He was smiling even before it moved because he knew he hadn't missed. When it struck, the creature vanished.

With the battle over, there were congratulations all around, even from Yami to Ryou, which pleased the timid boy. Téa was inspecting Yami's wound, but he assured her it was only slight, and the two began an awkwardly normal conversation. Yugi and Ryou found themselves together again.

Rather sheepishly, Yugi attempted to start a conversation. "So, this is it. We're really trapped in a game."

"Looks like it," Ryou responded.

When he said nothing else, Yugi searched for another comment to make. "What were those things? Are they from the game?"

"They're called Primids, I think." Ryou shook his head. "It's been so long since I've played the story mode on Brawl. If only I could remember more about it, I'd actually be able to help!"

"You know more than the rest of us do," Yugi told him reassuringly. "We'll get back home. All of us, working together like we did just then. Together we overcome everything, Ryou. Duelist Kingdom, Battle City… compared to those, how hard can this be?"

Ryou sighed, but tried a smile anyway. "How do we do it, Yugi? How do we get home?"

"We complete the game," Yugi replied with a shrug. "That's how these things usually work, right?"

"How do we do that, though?"

"We'll find out. Don't worry."

"I'm not worrying," Ryou abruptly snapped, looking over to where Téa and Yami were engaged in their harmless chat. "Where do you think Tristan and Joey got to?"

Right on cue they both became aware of a vigorous rustling in the bushes beside them, but they turned only to see three more primids emerge, shaking their small fists angrily at the pair of them. "More!" Yugi exclaimed, reaching for his sword with a growl of frustration - he had forgotten, in the elation of their last victory, what a pain it was to get out of the scabbard and stuck it back in automatically.

Ryou, on the other hand, acted straight away, although before he had time to release an energy arrow the primids were upon them. One of them struck his bow as he aimed and his attack soared harmlessly off into the treetops. Both boys began to back away cautiously, calling a warning to Yami and Téa.

Then someone else leapt out from the bushes, and all Yugi caught was a blur of pink and a cape flapping like wings before someone – Ryou – pulled him back out of harm's way and he fell over. Sprawled on his back, Yugi could see a cloaked figure brandishing a large sword in one hand leaping from the sky, an impressive black silhouette against the sun. The newcomer landed, cleaving through a primid with his sword as he did so. He crouched immediately and the pink blob bounced on his head, drawing a giant hammer out of nowhere and swinging it in a giant circle in mid-air. The remaining two primids were smashed into pieces. The man stood up and the blob flipped off the top of his head, landing on the ground on miniature feet, hammer at the ready.

"Yugi?" the tall warrior inquired, peering down at the boy on the floor. "Ryou?"

"_Tristan_?" Ryou gasped.

"The one and only," Tristan grinned. Now that the action was over, they could see him clearly: dressed as the warrior Ike, he wore the hero's blue battle outfit with ease. He even handled the sword like a pro. He was truly a splendid sight.

On the other hand, the small pink ball with the super-cute eyes beside him - _Kirby _- was not. "Hey, what about me?" it interrupted crossly, and Yugi and Ryou nearly did double-takes.

"J-Joey?" Yugi choked, because it was undoubtedly Joey's voice, but…

"That's right, you laugh. You two and Tristan ended up as heroes…" Joey growled.

It was a bizarre situation and it was hard not to laugh. Luckily, at that moment, Yami and Téa came over and the tension was broken.

"Tristan, Joey, I'm glad you're both okay," Yami told them in that calming voice of his once they had been properly introduced.

"We've been looking everywhere for you," Joey told them. "So what's going on here? Where even are we?"

Yugi answered. "We seem to be inside the world of SSBB. Other than that…"

"I don't know why we're here," Yami mused. "But I reckon we'll have to complete the game to get out."

On this point, they all agreed. "Well, we're all here now!" Joey told them brightly. "Let's get on with the game!" With that, and some scattered cheers of team spirit, the motley group picked a path at random through the forest and so began their long journey.

The last to leave the clearing was Ryou. _But we're not all here, though, are we? _he thought to himself as he looked up at the unfamiliar sky. _If Yugi and Yami… Well, it's not like anybody cares. Least of all me. _He looked at the others and attempted to shove his hands into his pockets in an uncaring sort of way, but the stupid thing he was wearing didn't have pockets.

As he began to trudge after the others, he repeated over and over in his mind, _It's good. I'm free of him for a while. It's all good. _But when he looked over at the others, chatting and laughing together, not even that thought could banish that old sense of loneliness creeping its way back into his soul.


End file.
